Threatened post offices to be replaced by counters in pubs and churches

Hundreds more postal ' outreach' outlets are to be opened in libraries, churches and pubs to quell the fury over Post Office closures, it was announced yesterday.

But critics condemned the plans for more so-called 'Post Office lite' counters, saying that nothing can replace a proper local post office.

Labour has been accused of masterminding the 'near-certain death of the village post office' with plans to close 2,500 branches by the end of the year.

Hundreds more postal 'outreach' outlets are to be opened in libraries, churches and pubs to quell the fury over Post Office closures.

In a bitter blow to customers of the already dwindling network, it is closing stores which are the heart of many small rural communities.

Yesterday the Post Office said it will extend its trial of 'outreach' outlets to towns and cities, rather than just rural Britain. If successful, it said the trials could lead to 'a significant number of additional outreach branches'.

The previous target was 500. These outlets range from a mobile post office which visits villages for a few hours every week, to a counter in a pub or a library.

In cities, terminals will be set up in High Street shops and newsagents, allowing customers to weigh parcels, draw pensions and cash benefits giros.

Sources said up to 250 urban outreach outlets could be opened, although the Post Office said it did not have a figure in mind.

Liberal Democrat business spokesman Sarah Teather said: ' Introducing a part-time "Post Office Lite" will be of no consolation for the many towns and cities left with no proper post office by this Government.

'Making this announcement just before the local elections seems like an attempted sop to angry voters who have watched Labour decimate the Post Office since 1997.

'Outreach services should only ever be used to fill in gaps in very rural areas, rather than as an alternative for full-time post offices in towns and cities.

'Ministers should help the Post Office expand its network by enabling it to develop more income streams, rather than letting it wither on the vine through the current process of managed decline.'

In a statement yesterday, the Post Office said the current trial of 100 outreach outlets in rural communities had been 'encouraging'.

The new urban trials will take place later this year, and a final decision will be made next year, it said.

Yesterday the charity Age Concern said it is still concerned about pensioners, who are among the worst affected by the current closure programme.

Many rely on their local post office to pay their bills because they do not have a bank account or access to the internet.

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: 'It will not fill the gaps in services that the current raft of closures will create.'

Anger among Labour MPs about branch closures has grown in recent weeks.

There were hostile complaints to Gordon Brown when he addressed backbenchers in private last week.

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Threatened post offices to be replaced by counters in pubs and churches